Shattered Legends
by Wolf of the Demise
Summary: After a war with a forceful threat, the people of Berk are forced to flee. Hiccup chooses to leave to finally stop the war, but he never returned. He had finally fallen. Six years later, and Astrid is trying her best to act as Chieftain, but a certain discovery could shatter her for good. Rated K just in case.
1. Author's Note

_A/N:_

 _Before you start reading, this is just a few things about the settings of the story, to make things less confusing._

 _1) Shattered Legends takes place after HTTYD 2._

 _2) Astrid is the new Chieftain._

 _3) After the war, the people of Berk were forced to flee, well, BERK, so they are now living in a war-free island called Odrill. If you have ANY suggestions to improve this idea, then please let me know._

 _3) This is the first HTTYD FanFic (or HTTYD_ _ **anything,**_ _really) I'm attempting, so if you like the First Chapter/Prologue/Group of Many Words, then PLEASE let me know. If I don't get a lot of feedback after the first few chapters or so, then I'll be inspired to stop writing._

 _4) And like I said, this is the first HTTYD thing I've ever started, so if anything is incorrect (according to cannon) then, like #3, please let me know. I'll strive for my best if you guys help me._

 _5) If you have any ideas for where this story is going, then PLEASE LET ME KNOW. I only have the general idea for this story, so anything else that I can fit into this story will be IMMENSELY helpful._

 _6) Along with story ideas, if you have OCs that you want in my story, then I will be happy to add them. Like I said, the ONLY thing I have so far is the main idea. Also, if you can come up with ways to introduce your OCs. . ._

 _7) I might add my own OC for this story. . . I'm usually not good at (or comfortable with) writing characters from the original Movie/ Book/ any other place._


	2. Sickening Truth

She watched from the bushes, eyes wide, staring at the figure in front of her. The looming shadows of the coming night quickly closed the five foot gap separating her from the mysterious character. He—whoever he was—was crouched on the mountain's edge, only an inch from the long drop to the rocky shore. His head was downcast, so she assumed he was gazing at the churning waters below, since his back was to her. She dared herself not to breathe, or to make any noise that would alert him.

 _Who_ is _he, anyway?_ She thought nervously. The sound of the water was all she could hear, the saltwater piecing both her smell and taste. She was slowly realizing how uncomfortable grass could be after kneeling in the same position for long enough.

But then, she froze, a gasp stuck in her throat. Only now did she take notice of what he wore.

Covered from head to toe in the same black material—no. Not material, she realized with sickening horror.

Scales. Scales as dark, mysterious, and black as night. There was only one dragon species known to have scales like that, and. . .

 _No_ , She stopped the dark images entering her mind. The figure finally got up, and so did she. Eyes much too wide, she took a silent step back, still doing her best to stay hidden. But he must have heard because he spun around, hand on a weapon sheath. He moved too quickly, seeming to change positions as fast as a lightning bolt may strike the earth. His mask covered all but his eyes, which it was too dark to see them clearly.

 _Lightning. . ._

 _NO. Stay focused, Astrid._ She told herself, but then faltered as she caught sight of the weapon the masked foe was so close to removing from its sheath.

 _So that too. . ._

She shook her head to clear it, but all the same felt dread rising. He was gazing into the darkness, seeking for whoever—whatever disturbed the peaceful quiet.

Suddenly, she turned and ran as fast as she could, trying to keep the tears away. Bile was rising to her throat and she finally got to Stormfly. Without glancing in the direction of the stranger, she leapt onto her dragon, and flew away as fast as she could.

Stormfly cooed, concerned that her friend was acting so. . . sad. But she never answered as she made her way back to Odrill. She couldn't get that character out of her head though. How could she? The scales, the weapon, It made her feel sick.

She knew that whoever he was, he must have killed. . .

She couldn't even allow herself to complete the thought. Instead, she burrowed her head in her hands and allowed Stormfly to take over the flying. She knew that she would have to tell the people.

She knew she would have to, but that didn't mean she would want to.


	3. Dark Meeting

_A/N- Okay, so I'm sorry that this chapter is so short... I was anxious to get it out. But hopefully, Chapter Three will be out quicker this way. Also, if you have any suggestions, criticism, ideas, or advice, then **please** let me know. I'm actually really excited to get this one out, so. . . without further ado. . . on with the chapter!_

Immediately after returning to Odrill, she gathered her friends Fishlegs, Snotlout, Ruffnut, Tuffnut, and Valka for a meeting in the large council hall near the northwest cliff-face. Once they were all together, she let out a deep breath, feeling all eyes on her, and spoke, "I spotted someone while patrolling the Edge Moon Island." She faltered, then found her voice once again, and continued:

"All alone. No dragon, no camp, no one else. He was all alone, and after realizing he was there, I crept closer, trying to find out who he was—a spy, a traveler, whether he was friend or foe. . . I soon realized that he was the latter. He was covered head-to-toe with-" She stopped before her voice cracked. Looking before the small number of people, her eyes sought out Valka, and her encouraging gaze prompted her to continue.

"He. . . was wearing black scales. N- Night Fury scales, I assume-" She stopped again, but this time because of the others letting out small gasps of surprise and started murmuring amongst themselves. She hunched over the table where she stood, hands seeming to hold her up, gazing downward as they started to speak.

"Are you sure?" Fishlegs was the first to speak to her directly. He wanted it to be false, Astrid realized. But she couldn't lie.

"Yes," she replied, fighting to keep her voice steady, "I'd recognize them anywhere."

No one objected.

She didn't stop the conversations circling the room, but finally, they all ceased. They slowly had come to realize that Astrid had more to add.

"Not only was it what he wore, but. . . But he carried a weapon with him. In- Inferno." It pained her to tell them this. She didn't have to look up to recognize how shocked they all were from this news. Astrid looked up to stare directly at Valka, who had been silent the whole time with a heart-wrenching expression on her face and let a few long seconds of pin-dropping silence pass before she concluded with a truth everyone in the room seemed to have come to realize:

"It kills me to say it, but. . . But this person, whoever he might be, killed Hiccup and Toothless."


	4. It Begins

"I want to go after him," Astrid spoke softly, a bitter tone in her voice. It was only the previous night that she had told the devastating news, and they had gathered together once again once the day had turned to dusk, deciding it best to keep the secret of the rest of the Vikings for the time being.

"Astrid," Valka started carefully, "That wouldn't be wise. At least, for now. Trust me, I want to find him as much as you do, but it would be best to wait. We know nothing about him so far. Unless he makes the first move toward us or we determine more about this. . ." She trailed off, then started again strong, "Whoever he is, then we should just wait."

Melody, the top of her dragon training class, who Astrid had been taking a liking to, was attending this one meeting and nodded ever so slightly, silently agreeing with Valka.

"But, I—" Astrid was cut off.

"You are the Chief. You can't just go running after. . . after this murderer. If anyone should go, it should be me. I'm used to moving quickly and silently on my own." Astrid reluctantly nodded to this.

Both Valka and Astrid had good reasons to go after the person in question. He had not only finished off the whole Night Fury species as they knew it, but had killed Valka's son; Astrid's fiancé.

Then Tuffnut spoke up before Ruffnut could stop him from ruining the delicate moment, "We're not going to be able to come no matter what, huh?" Ruffnut promptly elbowed him in the ribs.

Astrid and Valka both immediately shook their heads. Astrid said, "It'd be too dangerous," while Valka voiced, "The fewer people the better.'

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Wait just a minute." Snotlout started heatedly, "You guys are planning on going on a dangerous mission _without_ us?!" This time, the two girls both nodded their heads slowly.

"I thought that you guys should at least know where I'm going. It wouldn't do any good to disappear from the map suddenly. . ." Astrid trailed off, voice growing soft.

Fishlegs was the first to reply to that, "I. . . As much as I hate it, Astrid's right." Melody, who had been for the most part silent, murmured her assent, "I agree. . . But I also think that you both should go. Two of you means that you would have each other's back, able to but at the same time, it isn't enough to draw attention, if stealth is your objective. . ." She trailed off awkwardly, as all six of the close friends stared at her, surprised. Astrid was gazing at her with a proud gaze.

 _I've got a feeling that she'll make me proud in the future. I've got plans for her._ Astrid thought, the ghost of a smile on her lips.

"I, uh, sorry. I shouldn't have interrupted. I shouldn't even be here." She said softly, looking at her boots.

"Well, you know. . ." Astrid held onto the word 'know' for a few moments before continuing, "your theory could still work with three."


	5. Hard Discovery

_A/N_

 _So I changed the "Three Years Later" to Seven years, Only because I wanted a wider age gap between Melody and the gang, so her questions in this chapter make sense. I hopy you all enjoy! :3_

The three packed up and left without another word (except Astrid, who had told Fishlegs, Snotlout, Ruffnut, and Tuffnut to share the Chief's place until she returned, and "to not start a war, let being 'chief' get to your head, or turn all of Odrill into a heap of ashes, alright?!"). So before they all knew it, it was time to leave.

They got on their dragons, and, glancing at each other, gave grim smiles and left. Astrid was in the lead— with Melody on her left and Valka on her right, slightly behind— and she was leading them back to Edge Moon Island. Upon asking _why,_ Melody received an answer:

"Because," Astrid started, her blue eyes never straying from the path in front of her, "That's where I saw him last. . ." She trailed off, sidetracked, so Valka finished for her, "And since Astrid noticed that the. . . that he didn't have a dragon of his own, there would be no way for him to leave," She paused, then finished with, "Hypothetically, of course."

Melody nodded slowly, showing her understanding, then thought out loud, "He could have some form of ship waiting for him at shores somewhere, of course. . . But there aren't any nearby islands other than Odrill. So we're counting on the reasoning that Edge Moon is his base? Or, at least, his camp?"

She noticed Astrid nod; coming back from whatever thoughts had distracted her, "Yes. That's the plan."

"Alright, then." Then thought of another question, "Don't you have an idea of who it might be? Like, what about Hiccup himself? The person you were describing could certainly—" A sharp glare from Valka silenced her, making her stop short.

 _Oh, Melody,_ Valka thought, cringing ever so slightly, _She shouldn't have said that. If only she knew. . . It's not an easy topic. She may be top of her class, at riding and strategies, but anything outside of that. . ._ She didn't finish that thought because both she and Melody glanced at Astrid, who flinched slightly. At seeing this, Melody let out a soft ' _Oh_ ' sound in her throat, like she had just realized her error.

Nevertheless, Astrid gave a reply, "It isn't him. . . It's not Hiccup. We were. . ." She faltered but continued; fiddling with her hands then settled by cupping them together as she spoke, "If he had survived, then he would have come back. He wouldn't have left me. Plus, it is unfathomable to imagine Hiccup in Night Fury scales. It isn't right. Whoever this person is, I imagine that he wore it as a trophy," She shuddered at this point and her voice sounded sick and bitter, "Why else kill the last of a kind dragon? It. . . It's _wrong_. He needs to be stopped."

"I've been thinking about that. . ." Valka admitted after a small wait, "We can't just call him ' _he'_ all the time. We need to come up with a name."

Any replies to that were stopped because at that moment, Edge Moon Island came into view. Without a word, they all sped up; not wanting to wait any longer to see what awaited them. Therefore, it only took them a few moments to reach the island, land, and start searching. All three knew to keep silent, just in case they alert him—whoever he was.

*They searched the whole island, coming across nothing. After running across each other, Melody and Valka both agreed to go looking for Astrid. The stars were vanishing in the sky, and ever-so-slightly, the night sky was beginning to lighten up in the east. Dawn was approaching.

The very tip of the morning sun appeared over the horizon, by the time they finally found her, sitting on a conveniently-sized tree stump (Possibly made by a Timberjack) looking as pale as a ghost.

"Astrid?" Valka asked worriedly, approaching quickly, "Astrid, are you al—" Suddenly she froze, going a shade paler as well.

Melody frowned and approached to see what had gotten them so frightened, only to see that Astrid held a metal piece in her hand. She didn't understand the significance or the reason.

"Are. . . Are you guys okay?" Melody asked hesitantly, only to have Astrid's horrified gaze stare directly at her. Wordlessly, she held the metal thing up slightly and pressed a side button. Melody jumped back in surprise as suddenly, a fiery blade shot out.

Valka whispered a single word, "Inferno. . ."

 _A/N_

 _Alright, this will sound amazingly unprofessional, but I need some of your guy's opinions. . ._

 _1) Like Valka said, they need to call this mysterious person something, and I'm coming up blank wit that, and with how they start calling him the said nickname. So. Tell me what you think!_

 _2) After doing a whole day of research, I still don't have one clue what Melody's dragon should be! (Cries) So I need a dragon and, if possible, a name. I'm usually pretty good with coming up with names, so that isn't required, though. It was a changewing for a while, but I 'changed' (Heh. . . see what I did there? *Gets tomatoes thrown at for the terrible attempt at a pun*) my mind, so now I'm back at Square One. Let me know what you think!_


	6. New Path

_A/N-_

 _Again, SO sorry for the late and really pathetic update. I've ben sick and bombarded with homework, so that's taken up my whole weekend. I hope you enjoy this sad, miserable little thing (I wanted to at least get_ _ **something**_ _out) and hopefully, next chapter will be_ _ **so**_ _much better._

"Wh. . . Why here, though? I mean. . ." Melody trailed off, eyebrows knitted together. Both Valka and Astrid shook their head, also at a loss.

"Could he be trying to lead us to him. . ? I mean, he obviously isn't here. We were wrong, I suppose. Astrid, you were sure there were no dragons on the island?"

"I. . . I think so. I was pretty sure at the time, but now. . ."

"Well, it could've been hiding. A changewing, for example. Or it could've just flown away. Or it could've stayed out of our sight, or. . . Or, I don't know. . ." Melody sighed, looking down.

"Melody's right. There are a lot of different possibilities." Valka offered softly.

Without a word, Astrid got to her feet and started walking back to their waiting dragons, "Well. We can't worry about that now. We said that we would find him, and that's still the plan. Stormfly _is_ a tracker dragon, after all.

"It could be a trap."

Astrid, startled, turned quickly to look at Melody, "What?"

"I'm just saying. Did. . . did he _see_ Stormfly at all? Even flying away? If so, then he could've noticed that she's a Nadder. A tracker class dragon. It's a small possibility, but it's a possibility nevertheless. If so, then he could've left Inferno here purposely, for us to follow him, a. . . and lead us to a trap." She shrugged.

Astrid frowned, but looked undeterred, "We'll stick with our original plan. I _want_ to find him." They had continued walking, and nobody spoke up again until they reached their dragons. Astrid knelt in front of Stormfly and let her sniff Inferno. Immediately, Stormfly made a distressed noise and pawed at her muzzle, shaking her head. Astrid shot an alarmed gaze at Valka and Melody but soon got Stormfly to calm down. Within moments, they were in the sky, Edge Moon disappearing from view. Stormfly was in the lead, showing the way to whatever mysteries were to unfold.


	7. Apology and Author's Note

_A/N-_

 _So I feel really bad, because_

 _1, I've been really slow at giving you chapters (crappy ones at that)_

 _and 2, there are a few of you who I need to comment on your reviews. I didn't have time to do that (since I write A/Ns right before I post my chapter) when putting up Chapter 5._

 _So I would like to apologize to all of you, and I'd like you to know that I'd like to get chapters up a lot sooner, even though life is working to make that impossible. So I will try to get a chapter at least_ _ **started**_ _today, if not posted._

 _Along with that apology, here goes the few comments I've got for you wonderful souls who comment:_

To the Guest who commented, asking about where this story is going: I'm sorry I haven't answered that sooner, but I've also been spending about a week asking myself that same question. So in short, I have no idea myself, though that's not what I'd like to do with it. Although it might happen to go down one or both of those roads, I'm definitely not planning on it. This story will have _**me**_ surprised if it ends up ending tragically. To end off, thanks a lot for complimenting my writing style- it means a lot!

Watching-The-Knox-Dreamer: I would PM you, but this is quicker... heh... I really, REALLY like your Cries idea. I thoroughly enjoy Cries as a name and that you are enjoying this FanFic!

Katurdi: Thanks for your constant feedback and helpfulness, constantly reviewing almost every chapter. :3


	8. Reveal

"Go on, bud," He murmured, stepping off of the Hobblegrunt and waving it away. Then the figure sighed, took off his mask and ran a hand through his hair. The dragon sniffed the black-clad figure, its purple scales showing it curious. It wouldn't leave, apparently.

 _Today was a mess,_ he thought faintly, then shook his head to clear his thoughts. No time to focus on that now.

He had landed on an unnamed island far south from Edge Moon, right after his chance encounter.

"Not good," he whispered to himself, eyebrows knitted together, "Not good at all." He had managed to keep out of the sights for long enough.

He supposed it had been long enough.

Six years were long enough...

Suddenly he was jolted back to the present as the Hobblegrunt nudged him hard, almost causing him to loose his balance and fall. Clicking his tongue, irritated, he nudged the dragon's muzzle away, "Go on, I've gotten where I needed to go. So... so you can leave now."

The purple dragon stayed rooted to the ground, not moving at all, as stubborn as any curious dragon could be.

He sighed, looked down, and started his journey to one of his few permanent hideouts. This was not needed right now.

The reason that he was trying to get the Hobblegrunt to leave was that it was simply not his dragon. It was only a wild dragon he had tamed to get him where he needed to go. Then, he would leave it to itself ("set them free" was too strong a term, in his opinion. They were never _not_ free) and carry on his own merry way until he needed to get somewhere else. When that happened, he would do the same to any other dragon he could find quickly enough, and repeat the cycle.

He didn't find it appropriate to have his "own dragon" after... after _it_ happened, all those years ago.

Seeing her unexpectedly when he had thought he was the only one on that island had been an unwelcome surprise, and it was causing other memories buried oh-so-deep to resurface again.

The figure finished his walk deep into the heart of the forest, as easy to navigate as a maze, and set his black mask on the desk opposite of the small cot, which he sat heavily onto.

He figured that she and her companions had found the gift he left for them—Inferno. Of course, her Nadder was a tracker, so he'd assumed that she was on her way to his cozy little island right at this moment.

What he would do—or what _she_ would do—once she got here was a complete mystery. He wasn't sure why he was doing this, but he did it anyway. He'd been isolated for too long. He wanted to see her—see _both_ of them— again, even if they didn't know who he was.

Who knows? They might find out anyway.

The end result seemed inevitable. Why not just speed the process up a little?


	9. Important Note

**_A/N-_**

 ** _I am so sorry. I was on writer's block forever,and then my keyboard broke down (only the keys g, h, n, m, Enter, Space, and 1-0 (1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,0) worked. not even the BACKSPACE works!) and THEN, with me still on writer's block and my keyboard dead, now I'm moving and packing has been filling up my days. The only reason I'm able to get this out is because I'm borrowing my friend's laptop, (which is WAY to difficult to use by itself.) I'm so sorry guys... so just bear with me. And thank to those who have been very supportive. Thank you so much._**

 ** _Also, though... I've got no idea where to take this story, and I fear I've backed myself into a corner. What the jello do I do, guys?! I reckon that I should get myself half of a book written before posting it on here, so I don't chicken out like I've done with every. single. FanFic before this one. I'll be working on Chapter 8 as soon as I post this, but if I don't get something posted before this Monday, then... Well, I'm debating canceling this. It'll be up to you if you want me to keep this story up, though,even though I wont add to it._**

 ** _If I don't get something out, though, I honestly have an apology letter ready to post. Like, gosh... How long has it been since I've updated?! It says April, an I'm guessing that's April of 2016? So... It's May of 2017, right...?_**

 ** _Gosh, you have no idea how terrible I feel._**


	10. Found

A/N- So, sorry if it feels a little rushed, is crappy, or any other flaws are noticed by you guys. My mind was truly blank, but the support was really, REALLY nice, so I forced myself to write this. This… This right here is because of you guys (and, heh, me able to use a laptop at 11 p.m.) So without further ado… here's Chapter 7 (7, I think... 7, right?!)!

All too soon, Valka, Melody and Astrid found themselves approaching a small island that none of them recognized. It didn't take any of them long to realize that this was supposed to be their destination, as Stormfly was slowing, drooping lower and lower to glide closer to the mysterious island.

They also noticed that there was a thin trail of smoke trailing above the trees and into the sky.

How peculiar.

How peculiar, indeed.

"Alright, guys," Astrid started, "Keep alert, and it'd be best if you keep your weapons on hand. We really don't have any idea of what we're facing right now."

She got two nods, and then the trio swooped to land at a clearing on the outskirts of the forest island.

"To the smoke first?" Melody suggested once they had dismounted, which Astrid nodded. Valka stood at her side, finding it apropriate to let the younger Viking take charge.

With Astrid leading, the three made their way carefully, silently into the trees. Birdsong faintly filled the air. Astrid walked confidently in the front, while Melody stood right behind her, eyes darting around to take in every sight. Valka took up the back, in an almost animal-like crouch as she walked, taking care to make as little noise as possible- and succeeding well.

Then Astrid froze, followed by Valka freezing almost as fast. Melody, however, was too caught up in looking everywhere to look right in front of her, causing her to walk into Astrid. She squeaked out a surprised apology, but was silenced by Astrid. Now that it was so quiet, they could easily tell that… that there was another set of feet walking through the forest. It sounded a little off, but the three were too occupied to notice that minute detail (not the time, minute, but the small minute. min-OO-tea, not min-ih-teh).

"Who's there?" Astrid barked out into the trees, eyes narrowing slightly, brandishing her double-sided axe. Valka brandished her staff and Melody, her saber-like dagger.

"O-oh… H-Hi… Hello…?" A muffled male voice called out, sounding slightly hesitant. Astrid blinked in surprise. That wasn't what she expected. Nevertheless, she repeated her question.

No answer. Instead, a figure slowly made itself visible through the trees. Their masked head was downcast, watching his feet to make careful not to trip over the undergrowth. Finally, he looked up. All that was visible was his emerald green gaze.

No words were spoken as it dawned upon the three that the black-clad man standing in front of them was, in fact, the Mystery Man.


End file.
